Distilling and fractionating apparatus



'Nov. 21, 1933.

A. PLACEK 1,936,523

DISTILLING AND FRACTIONATING APPARATUS Filed Feb. 7, 1931 gmawto AdaU/Place??? WMM@ Patenten'. Nov., 2l, 1933 UNITED STATES Lhasa PATENToFFlcE DISTILLING AND FRACTIONATING APPARATUS 4 Claims.

The present invention relates to a distilling and fractionatingapparatus.

Among the objects of the invention, is the provision of a veryeliicient, simple and space- 5 saving apparatus by which the distillingliquid, or material is spread over a large surface in a uniform layer ornlm. whereby rendering the material in a state of exposure best suitedby the action of a treating medium.

Another object is the provision of a distilling and fractionatingapparatus in which the vapor flow constantly changes, therebypractically eliminating the entrainment of liquid particles with vaporsusually encountered in fractionating columns.

With these and other objects in view, the invention resides in thesundry details of cofnstruction, combination and arrangement of partshereinafter more fully described and pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawing which illustrates, by way of example, one embodiment ofthe invention:

Figure l is a vertical section through an apparatus constructed inaccordance with the invention and taken substantially on line 1 1 ofFigure 2; and

Figure 2 is a similar view taken substantially on line 2--2 of Figure 1.

Referring particularly to the drawing, the apparatus includes a closedstationary casing 10, preferably cylindrical, having stufling boxes onits ends, through which extends a rotatable hollow shaft ll driven froma suitable source of power through a pulley or the like 12. Within thecasing 10 and mounted on the shaft 11 to rotate therewith is a spiraldrum 13.

The drum 13 includes a long sheet of metal a or any other suitablematerial extending around the shaft 11 in spaced convolutions, the radiiof which increase outwardly from the shaft to form a winding channel bopened at the outer end of 'the winding, as at c, and communicating atits inner end with hollow shaft 11 through opening or openings 14. Theseopenings 14 are of considerable size, and in the completed structure areof greater size than what would be ordinarily considered perforations soas to avoid any obstruction to the counter flow of gases or liquidtherethrough.

The sides of the drum are closed by end plates d which close the side ofthe channel b.

The hollow shaft is connected on one side of casing to a stationarytake-oli vapor pipe 16 by means of a gland 17. The shaft 11 is connectedon the other side of the casing to a stationary feed or reflux pipe 18by means of a gland 19, the pipe 18 being connected to a dephlegmatorand a condenser, not shown.

The casing 10 has connected thereto, preferably, but not necessarily, atits top portion, a steam or vapor inlet 20 and to its bottom portion anoutlet 21 through which the spent liquid or residue may be dischargedfrom the apparatus. The inlets and outlets, respectively, are providedwith suitable seal or regulating valves 22 and 23.

The method of the operation is as follows:

The spiral drum 13 is rotated in the direction of the arrow shown inFig. 2 and live steam or vapor to be fractionated is introduced into thecasing 10 through the inlet 20, it filling the casing and passingthrough the entire length of the channel of the spiral drum toward theaxis thereof. The liquid or material to be distilled or the reflux fromthe reflux condenser 1s then 75 introduced through feed pipe 18 andpasses through the hollow shaft 11, and the openings 14 therein into thecentral part of the spiral drum and is continuously conveyed through thespiral channel b towards the outer end c thereof. The rotation of thedrum is such that the liquid or material entering through the openings14 will be under the influence of centrifugal force and will be conveyedby and spread over the surface c of the spiral channel b in a uniformlayer or film, which by virtue of the relatively large area of thesurface e, establishes the most ideal contact with the counter-currentstream of steam or vapor.

The gas or vapor from the foregoing process will also pass through theopenings 14 and through the take-olf pipe 16. There will be nodifficulty in the simultaneous passage of the fluid or material beingtreated and the vapors or gases in opposite directions through theopeng5 ings 14 as these openings are large enough to avoid anyobstruction to the counter ilow and to prevent what is sometimes termedbucking and this may be accomplished by having their combined area ofthese openings much larger than the cross section of the take-01T pipe16. The material to be treated in most instances will be influenced bygravity in moving into .the spiral channel b while the treating mediumor the gases and vapors will be drawn off by suction. The showing in thedrawing only illustrates the principle of the invention and the detailedconstruction of the apparatus is such as to more conveniently andproperly meet the mechanical and scientific requirements; also the saidpipe 18 may extend through the gland 19 and for a distance into thehollow shaft and provided with several openings therein in order tobetter distribute the material to be treated along the width of thespiral surface.

If the liquid or material to be treated fed through the pipe 18, and thesteam, vapor, gases or treating medium fed through the inlet 20 areproperly regulated, the m'ost perfect continuous fractionation isaccomplished, with entrainment of liquid particles with the vaporspractically eliminated due to the constant change of direction of vaporflow through spiral channel b and, particularly, to the centrifugalforce to which the liquid is subjected, during rotation of the drum. Inthe treatment of certain materials where it is either necessary ordesirable not to subject the material to the direct contact of steam orother treating medium, like in the fractionating of benzene-toluenemixtures when it is desirable to have the casing 10 act as a heatingvessel or chamber, the casing may be constructed with double side wallsthus forming a jacket for the heating medium, or heating coils may bedisposed within the casing 10.

The apparatus disclosed in this application is an example of one whichmay be employed in carrying out the process disclosed in my companionapplication Serial No. 514,292.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, is:-

l. A distillngand fractionating apparatus including a casing, a drumrotatably mounted in said casing and having a closed spiral channeltherein with convolutions increasing in radius from the center thereofand discharging into said casing at its outer end, means for feedingmaterial to be treated into the channel at a central portion thereof, soas to be distributed and conveyed by the surface of the channel to theouter discharge end thereof, when the drum is rotated, means foradmitting a treating medium at the outer end of the channel to traversesaid channel in counter-direction to the movement of the treatedmaterial, means for taking oi the gases or vapors from said channel.

2. A distilling and fractionating apparatus including a casing, arotatable drum mounted within said casing and having a closed spiralchannel therein extending from inner portion of said drum to theexterior thereof and opened at its outer end, means for feeding materialto be treated to the inner end portion of the channel, means foradmitting a treating medium to the interior of said casing, whereby itmay pass into said spiral channel at its outer end, and means for takingoff the distillate from an inner portion of said channel.

3. A distilling and fractionating apparatus including a casing, a drumrotatably mounted in the casing and having a closed spiral channeltherein extending from an inner portion of the drum to its periphery,where it discharges into said casing, means for feeding material to betreated into the channel at its inner portion so as to be conveyed anddistributed along the surface of the channel to the discharge endthereof, when the drum is rotated, means for admitting a treating mediumto said casing to enter said discharge end of the channel and traversesaid channel in counter-current to the movement of said materialtherethrough, means for taking off the gases or vapors at the innerportion of the channel, and means on the casing whereby the residuematerial discharged from said drum may be taken olf.

4. A distilling and fractionating apparatus including a casing, a hollowrotary shaft extending through the casing, a drum mounted on the shaftto rotate therewith and Within said casing, said drum having a closedspiral channel therein extending from said shaft to its periphery whenit discharges into said casing, the passage in said hollow shaftcommunicating with said channel, means for feeding material to betreated through one end of the shaft into said channel so as to beconveyed and distributed along the surface of the channel to thedischarge end thereof, when the drum is rotated, means for admitting atreating medium to said casing to enter the outer end of said channeland traverse said channel in counter-current to the movement of thetreated material therethrough, means for taking 01T the gases or vaporsat the other end of said shaft, and means on the casing whereby theresidue material discharged from said drum may be taken off.

ADOLPH PLACEK.

